A person standing in front of an ATM outside a bank, waiting or walking in a dark street, alleyway, or underground garage, or sitting in a vehicle or room requiring additional lighting, may want to quickly find something, such as car keys, an ATM card, lipstick, a pen or pencil, or a cell phone, in the person's hand-held container, such as a purse, hand bag, gym bag, or briefcase.
While there are numerous published references that describe various types of illuminating devices, and bags or purses having lighting systems, the applicants are unaware of a teaching or suggestion of an illuminating device for illuminating the interior of a hand-held container when a predetermined level and/or frequency of sound energy is detected inside the container. A review of the prior art follows.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,912,611 issued Mar. 27, 1990 to Lyle, describes a handbag battery powered flashlight with a separate control switch that can be rapidly moved from handbag to handbag of either the rigid frame construction or the foldable fabric type. According to the '611 patent, the control switch with actuating arms pressing against the sides of the handbag closes the switch contacts whenever the handbag is opened. The '611 patent also states that the flexible electrical conductor connecting the light source to the control switch permits moving the light source to various locations for inspecting the external compartments of the handbag as well as illuminating the keyhole in a door or automobile ignition lock.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,954,934 issued Sep. 4, 1990 to Kidder et al., describes a purse light consisting of a housing removably secured by hook and loop pile strips to interior surface of a purse so that a switch in an on position will activate a battery powered light bulb to illuminate the interior of the purse. According to the '934 patent, a modified purse light consists of an elongated dome lens that has a pair of parallel grooves running along interior of open rear end thereof. A slideable base plate fits as a tongue into the groove. A battery is carried on one end of the base plate while a light bulb is carried in middle of the base plate and is electrically connected to the battery. A toggle switch is carried on other end of the base plate and is electrically connected between the battery and the light bulb for turning the light bulb on and off. Hook and loop strips are mounted to rear surface of the dome lens and interior surface of a purse so that when the toggle switch is in an on position the light bulb will illuminate the interior surface of the purse through the dome lens.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,485 issued Jul. 31, 2001 to Rodgers, describes a bag which has a light controlled by a timing circuit so that the light is only turned on for a set period by an OFF to ON transition of a motion responsive switch occurring outside the set period. According to the '485 patent, a manually operated normally open switch may allow control of the light state independently of the timing circuit.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,447,142 issued Sep. 10, 2002 to Weir, describes a purse with a built in light system. According to the '142 patent, the light system is activated by a switch that turns the light on when the purse is opening and turns the light off when the purse is closed. The light is transmitted from a light source into an item holding chamber within the purse liner through a fiber optic cable.
None of the above patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.